Unforgiven
by AquaWayfinder03
Summary: The anniversary of the day Kimberly and Tommy started dating has come and Tommy is dreading life. Not to mention he woke up with the feeling that today was going to be a bad day. Prompt from ChillPillBerry JSYK- Notes I have on this will normally be put on my profile page
1. Prolouge

Prologue

Kimberly stared into the deep, merciless eyes of a monster. One who had once been a man. Now, Kim wasn't even sure that monster was a strong enough word. He had been driven by his anger to a point of insanity. How had this happened? How had he survived?

"You will suffer," The monster insisted, "for his sake."

Kim's eyes narrowed as she stared into his unforgiving eyes. "It's not his fault! You know that!"

"You understand nothing!"

"Says the one who turned himself into a monster for the sake of revenge! He wanted to save you! He would've if he could've!"

"Really, you're telling me… that, the great Thomas Oliver couldn't save me?"

"Cut him some slack! He deserves that much!"

"Who is the woman that broke his heart, to say he deserves better?"

Kim sat on her knees, head hung. She knew he was right, in a sense, but she knew he had wanted to…


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Another normal day in the life of Dr. Thomas Oliver, Tommy Oliver, on the other hand, was bored out of his mind. He enjoyed being a teacher, but couldn't help missing his ranger days. A quiet life would've been nice if he'd had someone to enjoy it with, but most of the time he was alone in his basement trying not to feel sorry for himself. Today was the worst by far. The anniversary of the day he and Kimberly had started dating. Tommy, even now, was trying to convince himself it was all a misunderstanding, a mistake… somehow. Their break-up haunted him to this day. Since the day he received the letter, he felt like his life was a lie. He lived that lie, knowing the rest of the world needed him, even if Kim felt she didn't anymore.

"The more I think about how depressing my life is, the more depressing it gets,"

"Meaning, what exactly, Doc?" Connor asked.

"Oh! Connor! I… uh… well… it's… complicated." Tommy stated, simply.

"Ah… I see…"

"Did you need something?"

"Hm? Oh! No… I just… wanted to see how you're doing. You're down here alone a lot. I wanted to see if you're ok."

"I'll be fine, Connor, thank you though. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know."

"It's the least I could do, Doc. You've done a lot for us."

"Maybe, but I still wish I could've done better. I wish you guys could've met Zordon. He was a great mentor, and he was like a father to all of us." Tommy sighed. Tears threatened to pour from his eyes at any moment.

"I'm sure he was, Doc, but you're a great mentor too, and you're like a father to Ethan, Trent, Kira, and I. We're all really worried about you. You don't have to talk to me, but… please… talk to one of us." Connor pleaded as he walked away.

"Thank you, Connor. I appreciate your concern… a lot…"

Connor simply nodded and walked away. Tommy had the unnerving feeling that today was going to be the worst day of his entire life.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kimberly wanted to scream. She tried to scream. Every part of her body ached. She wished he had killed her. Instead he tortured her and dropped her mercilessly on a porch out in the middle of nowhere. It was Tommy's front porch. She'd never been to his house before, but she knew what Zeltrax was using her for. She tried to make some sort of noise, but nothing came out, she could barely even breath.

Kimberly's mind flew back to when she was being tortured, she felt sudden pain rip through her right shoulder, left, back, left knee, right, stomach, and so on. The pain continued on for hours, as a whip ripped every inch of her body. It continued even after her entire body was covered in blood. She was barely alive. It hurt to breathe. At this point she had just been waiting for him to end it, but he didn't. He didn't kill her. He wouldn't kill her. Why wouldn't he just kill her?! She was in far more physical pain than she had ever been before. She just wanted him to end it! She wanted it to be over, anything to stop feeling this pain. Would she ever see Tommy again? Would she get to explain why she had done it? Did he even remember her after all this time?

Kimberly's head jerked up (or it would have if it had the physical ability to) at the sound of a scream. Her mind processed the scream quickly. Teenage, male, ranger (probably red), jock, doesn't like the sight of blood.

"Wonderful," she managed, but it was high pitched, and not even loud enough to qualify as a whisper.

She tried to moan and scream as two, extremely panicked, people carried her in the house, and down a set of stairs. One of them was Tommy. She'd recognize his voice anywhere. Somehow, he recognized her. Kimberly could not see her appearance, but it was very clear to her that most people wouldn't recognize her. Following that she almost laughed at herself. **TOMMY IS NOT MOST PEOPLE!** She reminded herself. She could feel Tommy's breath against her blood covered cheek, pleading with her to say something, or do something… anything. To show him that she was alive. He continued to plead with her, as if he could scare the blood away, talk to it enough that it would just… vanish… and everything would be alright, but it wouldn't. Nothing Tommy could do was going to change her position. She'd be surprised if she lived through the night.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Kim… please… answer me!" Tommy begged.

"Doc? Who is this?" Connor asked, looking very pale.

"Kimberly Hart," Tommy answered, tears streaming down his face. "the original pink ranger… my love, my life, my world." He turned to look at Connor and saw that the red ranger was utterly shocked and horrified. The shock was probably due to finding out his teacher actually had a love life at one point. That might have even been the cause of the horror as well, but that was most likely due to all the blood.

Tommy knew that Connor didn't like the sight of blood, and when he heard his horrified scream, he knew that someone was injured. The last thing Tommy had expected that morning was to find his ex-girlfriend laying more than half-dead on his front porch, but here he was. He was terrified. He wanted it all to be fake, the break up, Zordon's death… he didn't even want to think beyond that. He didn't want to remember all the horrible things that happened since Kim left Angel Grove. It hurt to much.

"Do you- uhm… want me to… to get the others?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright. Be back in a few," Tommy simply nodded, not daring to remove his gaze from the former-pink.

"Please… please… stay with me, Beautiful."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Please… please… stay with me beautiful. Please don't leave me. Please… I love you." Kimberly lied there and listened as Tommy begged her not to die. She wished she reassure him, but even if she had the ability to speak, there was nothing she could say to reassure him without lying to him. Instead, she forced her eyes open and planned on forcing a smile, but as soon as she saw his face, she smiled a real smile. A thrilled smile that would make anyone who laid eyes on her right now, think she was purely insane. She was covered in blood and aching all over, the cuts that covered her body stung, as if someone had poured acid on her in neat, thin, uneven rows, but she continued grinning at him. Her breath came in painful heaves, but she couldn't stop grinning. Just looking at him, knowing he was watching over her, made her feel safe. She watched his concern melt into joy, and a grin that matched hers spread across his face. There was still unease in his eyes, but she could tell he was able to set most of it aside.

"Beautiful? You ok?" He asked, concern edging his voice. She wanted to tell him that she was ok, but she couldn't. She literally couldn't say anything. She couldn't even nod. She also couldn't stop grinning. She finally forced her head into a stiff nod and forced her hand to brush over his.

"I- I'm… I'm ok… Handsome," she lied.

"Am I supposed to believe that? You're stuttering, covered in blood and cuts, and chocking on every breath! What happened to you, Kim?!"

"It's… It's nothing."

"Fine, don't tell me."

"Alrighty then, I won't."

"I- I'm just worried Kim… I- I love you."

Kimberly couldn't help but smile at that. After all this time… he still loved her. He wasn't even the mad at her. He was just worried. Maybe things would work out after all. That is, of course, if she made it through the night.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Please…" Tommy begged, over and over again. All he could do was beg. He was too scared that he would hurt her to hold her. When she finally spoke it should have relieved him, but the strain in her voice showed that she was in a lot of pain, despite insisting that it was nothing. Then he saw her smile. It obviously hurt quite a bit, but she kept grinning at him. All because he told her that he loved her, something he told her multiple times a day when they were in high school. He couldn't help but smile back. She was happy, despite her condition. That's all he wanted for her, her happiness.

"Rest, Kim. You need it."

"Alright," she answered, nodding. "And Tommy,"

"Hmm?"

"I love you too."

Tommy was officially confused. If she loved him, why did she tell him that she didn't and break up with him? As he pondered this, Connor walked through the door, with Hayley, Kira, Ethan, and Trent following close behind with panicked expressions. Tommy leaned over Kimberly and planted a light kiss on her forehead before turning to the group of people who had just walked through the door.

"What happened?" Hayley asked, in obvious panic.

"I don't know," Tommy admitted. "She managed to start talking, but wouldn't tell me what happened."

"Great," Ethan sighed. "How are we supposed to help her if she doesn't tell us what happened."

"I think that's the point, Ethan," Tommy admitted with a sigh.

"Why would she come here then?" Trent reasoned.

"I don't think she did."

"What do you mean, Dr. O?" Kira questioned

"I highly doubt she had the strength to crawl up the porch stairs, much less crawl here from wherever this happened."

"You think someone dropped her here," Connor guessed, already knowing more about the situation than most of the others.

"Precisely, McKnight."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

'Please no,' Kimberly thought to herself. 'Please, please, no. Not this. Not again.' She pleaded with her subconscious over and over again. She didn't want to go through this twice. Despite all her pleading, she felt a sharp pain in her back, and refused to let herself cry out. So she went through her torture a second time. She stifled her cries of agony time and time again. Dragon claws… who the heck, replaces the metal hooks on the end of a cat of nine tails… with DRAGON CLAWS?! She silently begged Tommy to wake her up. She didn't care why, she just didn't want to go through this again. As if he had read her mind, Kimberly felt herself being shaken back into the real world.

Kimberly gasped for breath as she woke up. Tommy was staring down at her worriedly.

"Kim are you all right?" He asked her, his voice laced with concern. "You were shaking, breathing heavy, and sweating."

"I-I-I'm ok."

"Alright," Tommy knew by now not to pry. Sometimes he'd insist, but Kimberly was pretty sure he'd noticed that now was not the time for that.

"There is no way that I'm going back to sleep though," Kim insisted, trying to sit up.

"Wait just a second! You can stay awake, but you are not sitting up! You're in no condition to-"

"I appreciate the concern, Tommy, and I know I need to be careful, but I'm gonna sit up. Ok?"

"Fine. Just… just be careful."

"So… who is she?" Kira asked, in obvious confusion.

"This is Kimberly, the original pink ranger." Tommy answered.

"That was not near as heartfelt as the first introduction," Connor pointed out.

"Oh? What did he tell you?" Kimberly asked.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Tommy reminded her.

"Well, you're the cat, so that shouldn't be a problem for me… Plus, satisfaction brought it back," Kimberly reminded him of both things with a smirk.

"She has a point Doc," Connor admitted, with a smile.

"Who's side are you on?!" Tommy demanded.

"The one who can barley breathe, and yet is throwing smart comments and smirking at you," Connor replied with a grin, to which Kimberly's smirk grew.

"Fine."

"Looks like I win this round, Oliver."

"Yeah, yeah."

"What happened?" Ethan asked

"Nothing… it doesn't matter," Kimberly replied.

"Nothing? Nothing?! Have you by chance noticed that there are claw marks all over you?" Tommy asked. "Please… Tell us what happened."

"What makes you think there claw marks?" Kimberly questioned him.

"I'm a paleontologist," He answered simply.

"Right… great,"

"Please, I want to help you Kim."

"Fine. I will tell you **ONE** thing!"

"Ok,"

"I was not attacked by an animal. These are dragon claw marks, but I was not attacked by a dragon."

"Sooo… what happened?" Ethan asked.

Kimberly remained silent. She already told them something. Judging by the frustrated expression on Tommy's face he already knew that, but she refused to say more.

"Why do you have to be so darn stubborn, Kim?"


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Why did she have to be so stubborn?! Why did she refuse help?! Why did she want to keep this from him? Not telling total strangers he understood, but they had always been close, and had even tried to keep in communication for a while, despite the break up. It hadn't worked out well, with her gymnastics, him at school 8 hours a day, and the time change, but they had tried. Why was she trying so hard to hide this from him?

"Kim… Kim, please,"

"No."

"PLEASE!"

"No."

"PLEASE!"

"FINE!"

"Really?!" Tommy's question was only returned with a glare. "Right… I'll be quiet now."

"That sounds like a wise decision," Kimberly replied, still glaring at him. "I… Do you want a straight out tell, or the whole story?"

"Let's go with the whole story this time," Hayley spoke for the first time since Kim woke up.

"Very well… I was walking home from work. I was 2 blocks away from my house when I felt someone coming up behind me, normally I'd be quicker to notice so I assumed they were a ways off. I was getting ready to turn around when I was grabbed and taken to another dimension."

"Wait!" Ethan interrupted. "You mean you were just minding your own business when someone grabbed you and dragged you to another dimension?"

"Not sure I would classify him as a someone. Not anymore at least, but yes."

"What do you mean?" Connor asked

"Well, maybe I'd get to that part if you guys wouldn't interrupt," Kimberly pointed out. "Just let me finish. Ok?"

"Ok, sorry," Ethan replied, knowing he had originally interrupted.

"It's fine," Kimberly assured him before continuing. "I got off work at 10, so it was about 10:30, and given my ranger background, I was very much panicking when I got dragged into another dimension. I was brought to that dimension to be tortured… So they could drop me on your front porch… as a message."

"Who did this to you Kim?"

"I can't tell you!"

"Why not?"

"I just… I can't."

"If you're not going to tell me who… than at least tell me why you can't tell me… please…"

"Tommy… you're normally one of the most level headed people I know… I don't want you going into _revenge mode_ and doing something you'll regret. Please trust me on this one. It's better if you don't know."

"Very well, I won't pry anymore, promise."

"Thank you."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"To answer your question though," Kimberly spoke again, obviously surprising Tommy quite a bit. She couldn't help being ammused at this. Tommy didn't get surprised, he just… didn't. It was almost like some kind of unspoken… rule. Tommy was _**NEVER**_ surprised. "He was a human… he's a monster now though. Quite litteraly."

"I see…" Connor responded, sadly.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced," Kimberly noted, cutting into Connor's thoughts.

"Oh… yeah… right… I'm-"

"Wait!" Tommy interupted Connor's introduction. "I want to see what she's figured out so far."

"Teenage, male… obviously. Ranger, red? Jock, doesn't like the sight of blood," Kimberly guessed, looking at Connor.

"Y-yeah… my names Connor."

"It's very nice to meet you, Connor."

"Y-y-you… too?"

"Teenage, female," she stated the obvious parts first once again, looking at Kira. "Ranger, yellow? Musician, also doesn't like the sight of blood, but doesn't mind it quite as much as Connor. For reasons that I won't state." Connor looked quite relieved at Kimberly's words, seeing this she decided to continue, when Tommy broke in.

"Well you've gotten quite a bit better at reading people."

"Judging by the confused expression on your face, you've gotten much worse," Kimberly noted, to which Tommy shrugged and signaled for her to move on.

"Kira," the yellow clad teen introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you, Kira,"

"You too," Kira replied, holding much more confidence than Connor managed.

"Teen, male," Kimberly started up again, her gaze directed at Ethan. "Ranger, blue? Techie." Ethan smiled wide as she mentioned that last one. Most people would consider him a _computer geek_ , however, Kimberly said it with much more respect. It obviously made him feel good. Kimberly couldn't help but smile at the teens pride.

"Ethan," he reasponded proudly.

"Nice to meet you, Ethan,"

"Nice to meet you too," Ethan responded, being the first to have enough courage to reach out and shake her hand.

"Teen, male," she started once again, now looking at Trent. "Ranger, white, artist."

"Trent."

"It's nice to meet you, Trent."

"You too," Trent started. "I have a question though."

"Oh?"

"When you stated the others' ranger colors it sounded like you were asking a question, but you seemed sure that I was the white ranger. Why? All of us are weaing our colors."

"The thing is," Kim started with a smile. "I didn't base my guesses on what you're wearing, but your demeanor. Rangers have a tendancy to wear their colors on a daily basis, but ocasionally stray from it for some reason or another. I _**knew**_ you were the white ranger the same way I _**guessed**_ your friends' ranger colors."

"So… you compared our actions and attitudes to those of other rangers?" Connor asked, startling more than half the people in the room.

"Exactly!" Kimberly affirmed, beaming at Connor's understanding.

"So… Kim, who do they remind you of?" Tommy asked curiously.

"Well…"


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Well… honestly… they remind me of all the rangers I know, that share their colors. "

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked her.

"Like Jason, Rocky, and you, Connor is strong, brave, and acts confident, despite any doubts he harbors, to encourage his team. Sounds like red ranger material to me."

"Wow! You really know how to inflate a guy's ego, don't ya?" Tommy laughed.

"He'll be fine."

"Wasn't talking about him, Beautiful," Tommy replied, still laughing. It made him feel good that she thought of him as strong and brave, and knew what lengths he would go to for his team.

"Of course," Kimberly sighed.

"And Kira?" Tommy asked curiously. How had Kim possibly related Trini and Aisha to Kira? What did they have in common that he had missed? Kira was so spunky and outgoing… and Trini and Aisha were… still confident, but… kind of… was shy the right word? No, but they definitely weren't spunky like Kira.

"Strong, but knows when to stand back and has the obvious ability to take charge and be the voice of reason," Tommy was shocked, to say the least. He had never thought of that! Kim knew right away though. She said it as if it was a no-brainer, and gave him the _**'are you being serious right now?'**_ look.

"Continue!" Tommy encouraged. Anything to get her to stop giving him that look… anything!

"Misunderstood for his talents, but refuses to let others' negative comments get to him, or change him, strong, and loyal." Kimberly announced, looking at Ethan, who was grinning from ear to ear. Tommy could tell that Ethan was going to get used to Kim very quickly. He smiled widely, Ethan had always been the one that really reminded him of the person who originally had his color. The original blue ranger and Ethan had a very visible amount in common. Unfortunately, now that he thought about it, a lack of recognition was one of those things. How often had he reminded each of his students just how much they were contributing to the team?

"Now you've done it!" Tommy exclaimed. "You've inflated my ego, possibly Connor's, and _**DEFFINATLEY**_ Ethan's! We're all going to die!"

"I think that's a bit of an overre-"

"The world can't handle- heck, the universe- multiverse! Can't handle all three of our egos being inflated!" Tommy exclaimed, cutting Kim off.

"Ooooookkkk… If you say so…" Kim replied awkwardly.

"Messing, Beautiful."

"Ooh! Speaking of which… I never heard what you told Connor about me."

"Oh-um."

"Yikes! Busted!"

"Shut it, McKnight!"

"You… um… you sure you want to know?" Tommy tried asking one last time.

"Yup, Handsome! I want to know!" Kimberly replied with an excited grin.

"Actually," Trent spoke up. "First… how did you _**know?**_ That I-"

"Tommy and I have always been close… you remind me of the white tiger and ninjetti ranger in almost every aspect."

"Really?!" Trent asked, grinning.

"Yes, really," Kimberly laughed at his pleasure.

"My ego has grown much today," Tommy noted jokingly.

"Anything else to say, Handsome?"

"I have a question," Kira announced.

"Yes?" Tommy replied in relief.

"What's with nicknames?"

All relief had vanished! Panic mode! System overload! He didn't mind answering the question, the thing was… he hadn't… exactly… realized that Kimberly had been using her nickname for him… _**All day!**_

"We dated in high school," Kimberly explained. Tommy wasn't paying very much attention though. Had Kim seriously called him 'Handsome' multiple times that day? The fact that she called him that even just once was surprising in itself, but… multiple times in a day?

"Earth to Doc?" Connor's voice suddenly broke into his thoughts. He looked up from where his gaze had rested on the floor to see everyone staring at him.

"S-sorry. What?"

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine." _**Not**_ _fine! Soooooo not fine!_ "I was just thinking."

"Oh? Then you won't mind telling me how you introduced my limp body to Connor?" She joked, nonetheless, he winced. Remembering how she had not even been able to talk mere hours ago. Thinking about it… hurt… "Tommy? Are you sure you're ok?"

"Connor?"

"What's up Doc?"

"Could… could you… please… tell her, for me?"

"Sure thi-"

"Wait! Better yet! Security cams! I can show you instead. It'll be a lot less embarrassing then trying to tell you myself, or letting Connor make fun of me!" Tommy announced with a smile.

"Alright," Kimberly agreed. "Where do we start?"

"Right… here!" Connor announced selecting a video.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

His love?! His life?! His world?! After all this time… after the letter… did he really still think so much of her?! The last thing Kimberly wanted was for Tommy to see her cry, especially right now, but before she knew it tears were pouring from her eyes.

"Kim?" Tommy's voice was filled with concern. "Kim… are you ok?"

How could she be ok after hearing him say something like that?! Especially considering he thought these feelings were one-sided. That was the furthest thing there was from the truth, she loved him! More than anything! Knowing that he had never gotten over her… in a way… in a way it made it worse. In fact, from what she could tell he never even made an effort to get over her. He had thought she didn't feel that way anymore, and wasn't going to push, but… he never actually tried to move on. He had dated Kat for a while, but they broke up a long time ago. As far as she knew he hadn't dated anyone after that. He didn't even try to stay mad at her. For years, he had done everything within his power to protect her… and she dumped him! How could she do that to him?! What had she been thinking?!

"I'm fine, Tommy," she was not fine, far from it! She broke up with the love of her life! **Told him that she loved someone else!** This realization was definitely the worst thus far! **She had told Tommy she loved someone else!** She continued to cry harder, but she couldn't stop. Suddenly, she felt Tommy wrap his arms around her, careful not to hurt her, and before she could protest his white tank-top was soaked with tears. "Sorry," was all she could manage to choke out.

"Don't be sorry, Beautiful! It's fine! It's no problem! I love you, so much!" he told her, and kissed her on the top of her head.

"I love you too, Handsome, more than anything!" Kimberly replied, laying her head gently on his shoulder.

"The shirt's not a big deal, don't stress over it."

"I wasn't talking about the shirt, Handsome. I'm sorry for… I'm sorry for lying to you."


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lying to him about what? He refrained from drawing any conclusions. He knew it would do nothing but put him in a state of panic. He would just come up with something that had nothing to do with whatever she was talking about, and panic over nothing. He had been more… _internally fragile_ … since the breakup. He was much more sensitive to the potential of a situation. So he simply waited for an explanation, it seemed like the best option at the moment.

"Almost everything I said in that letter was a lie and I'm so sorry-"

"Beautiful!" Tommy quickly cut her off, using her nickname so she would know not to worry. He was completely confused, but keeping her calm and breathing as normal as possible was most important right now. "It's ok! Just breathe! It's ok."

"No! It's not! I told you that you're like a brother to me, for goodness sake! Tommy, I think that's the biggest lie I've told in my entire life!"

Can't breathe… System overload… Shutting down… Did she seriously just say that?! Kimberly seemed to realize her mistake, her face went pale, then was covered by a heavy blush that was clearly visible despite her blood covered face. Saying that would have been ok, but shouting it in front of Hayley and his former students… They sat there in shocked silence. No one dared speak. Some barely even dared to breathe. No one knew how much time had passed before the awkward silence was broken, but what they could tell you was that all of them were very relieved when it finally was.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Alright, somebody needed to break the silence. This was… _ **terrifying**_ … is the only word I can think of describe this situation. Doc's ex-girlfriend was here, he still loved her, and apparently she still loved him, but there was that _**terrifying**_ tension in the air. What letter? What was she talking about?

"Look…" I eventually managed. Everyone's eyes were full of relief at the silence finally being broken. Everyone wanted someone to break the silence, but no one had been brave enough to do it until this point. How long had we all been sitting there? "I don't know what you guys are… **were** … talking about, I really hope I'm not the only one, but-" It was at that point in time that I realized we were all doomed.

That look in her eyes… I recognized it immediately. I suddenly yelped and jumped backward, to which I was greeted with many confused looks, but I didn't care. I knew who did this to her. No! He was dead! Terror overcame me.

"Please… please no!"

"Connor?" Kimberly asked, concerned.

"Zeltrax?!" I screamed questioningly. Kimberly yelped as well. "Tell me I'm wrong… please…"

"What… about Smitty?" Dr. Oliver asked.

"Nothing!" Kimberly and I yelped in union. This would tear Doc apart. He couldn't know… not yet.

"Really? Nothing?"

"Yup!" I replied in a cheerful manner, doing everything I could to not sound suspicious. "Everything's fine."

"Very well," Doc replied, but it was obvious we'd talk about this later. What would I tell him? I couldn't tell him Zeltrax had done this to her! He would just blame himself, and that wouldn't help anything. Why me? Why did I have to be the one to recognize the look in her eyes? Why? Why me?


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

They were hurting… I was hurting. I had gone too far, but I couldn't stop. Not now. He wouldn't let me. Believe me, I tried. I would bring much more pain. Against my will. This wasn't worth it. I wasn't even mad anymore. It was petty of me to be mad in the first place really. Not that I'd admit that under any other circumstances. All this… it shouldn't be happening… all this… because I was angry at someone over something that wasn't their fault. I'm stuck. Stuck in my own anger and hatred, with no way out. I'm hurting people I care about… and the people they care about. None of this was worth it. I never wanted any of this. Not really. I never wanted to hurt anyone. It's too late to fix it all. No matter how much I wish I could fix this… I just can't…. I'd give most anything to change it all. I made the same mistake twice… if I make it out of this… I _**WILL NOT**_ make that mistake a third time! I put everyone I care about in danger. How could I do this?! How could I do this to them?!


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

What were they keeping from him? No! D-… did Smitty do this to her! Wow! He had lost his touch! Tommy felt the color drain from his face. Smitty was alive! Was this a good thing or a bad thing? Tommy really wanted to save him, but had he reached the point of no return?

He understood now… why Kim didn't tell him. He couldn't deny, as soon as he laid eyes on her limp body, he'd had 2 main emotions that his body were running on. Fear and anger. Nothing scared him more than the thought of losing Kim. Even after she had broken up with him, the thought of her death alone was unbearable.

"Tommy? Are you ok?" Hayley asked, forcing him out of his thoughts.

"Y-… yeah…" Tommy stuttered wearily. "I-…I'm f-fine."

"Are you sure?" Kimberly asked, seeming to choke on the question.

Tommy replied simply by knocking twice on air.

"What?" Connor's face was twisted up in confusion.

"Means yes," Kimberly explained, simply. "Sign language."

"Ah… Problem with your voice Doc?"

Tommy shook his head at his former-student's question, but he knew that if he tried to talk, the only sound that would come out would be that of a mouse being strangled... **LOTS** of squeaking! Nonetheless, Tommy cleared his throat and attempted.

"Maybe you should sign, Kim... ya know... go easy on your throat," He suggested.

"I appreciate the concern, Tommy, but I'll be fine."

At first it was just an attempt to get everyone's focus off him, but he heard quite a bit of strain in her voice. It was growing. She was exhausted, and in pain. Wasn't there something he could do for her?!

"Do you need anything? Icanwarmupsomesoda! Ihavecoffee!" Tommy offered both things almost incomprehensibly fast. He couldn't help it!

"Thanks, but no thanks, Handsome!"

Maybe it was wrong for him to worry… Kim had always been strong, but… right now… she seemed so fragile. He hated it! Kim didn't deserve this! Why did he have to hurt her?! None of this was her fault!

Suddenly a river of tears started to flow down his cheeks. He wanted to stop it… he didn't want any of them to see him cry, and he definitely didn't want all of them to see him cry!

"Tommy? Tommy are you ok? Tommy?"

"You know," Tommy started, trying his best to sound cheerful, "one day someone is going to ask me if I regret becoming a paleontologist. My answer… Yes, but not because of any financial problems. I think I first started to regret becoming a paleontologist, when I was working with some friends, yes, I have friends, granted not many, on a project… on an island… long story short the island blew up."

Tommy watched as grins broke out across the room at his last statement. For a moment he felt relaxed. Complete, genuine, relaxation that he hadn't felt since the breakup.

"I thought both of them had died in the explosion." He continued more somberly. "But then I found out that only one of them had died and he was brought back to life as a monster by Mesagog, was mad that I couldn't save him, and intended to destroy me!" Tommy exclaimed reverting back to his cheerful voice. "And then," Tommy said his voice turning more stern, as he gave Kimberly and Connor a pointed look. "He tortured my ex-girlfriend, whom he knew I was still in love with, and dropped her off, more than half dead, on my porch, solely for the purpose of angering me, and no one would tell me what happened!"

Tommy waited for someone to speak. To his surprise… hm… that had been happening a lot lately… Tommy being surprised… hm… odd… Anyhow! To his surprise, Kimberly was the first to speak up.

"Well… at least you haven't **completely** lost your touch."


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Well… at least you haven't **completely** lost your touch." She didn't know what else to say. Due to Tommy's constant surprise today, she really hadn't him to figure it out. Maybe she **should** sign instead of talking directly. She was straining to speak, but she didn't want Tommy worry. She attempted to lift her hands… bad idea. Her eyes widened in shock at the extra pain that shot through her body, and she had to clench her jaw to keep from screaming.

"Kimberly?!" Tommy had noticed her **major** change in demeanor, surprise, surprise.

"I-'m f-f-i-ne!" She stuttered out.

" **NO! KIM!** You're not ok! I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong! Please! Where does it hurt?"

"I tried to move my hands to sign," she relented after a few moments. "Talking was starting to hurt, but when I tried to move my hands… I couldn't… I didn't have the physical ability to do it, and when I tried, it felt like… like… I don't even know, but it hurt… **a lot!** I'm scared to move, Tommy! It hurts."

Kimberly hadn't even noticed how still she was being until she tried to move her hands. She had subconsciously been staying as still as possible. In all honesty she was pushing her luck, but she had lost a lot of blood and didn't know how much time she had left. She had forced herself to this point, and was only getting worse, but she wanted to spend her last moments talking to Tommy, not trying to get better, when the chances of that were slim.

"Alright, you need to rest, K-"

"No!"

"Yes, Kimberly! I'm not gonna watch you die! You need rest!"

Kimberly opened her mouth to protest again, but Tommy quickly interrupted. "I _**can't**_ , Kim. I can't watch you die! Nothing scares me more than the thought of losing you! At least when you broke up with me we were still friends! I can't lose you, Kim! Not forever."


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Tommy sat down and sighed in relief. He had finally managed to get Kim to rest. He helped her drink a cup of coffee, and lay back. After talking to her for about a half-hour, she finally drifted off. He glanced at her limp body. She looked so helpless. She **was** helpless! She could make plenty of smart remarks, sure, sarcasm was her specialty. She was sweet, but her playful side did consist mostly of sarcastic remarks. Still… he had to help her drink coffee! He had to help her lie down!

"What've I done?" he whispered to himself. "How could I let this happen?" Yes, he was angry, but who should he be angry at? Smitty had done this to her, but… he couldn't save him… and was it really Smitty doing this? He subconsciously pondered these things while he seethed. He didn't know who he should be angry at, so he simply chose himself. After all, he hadn't been able to save Smitty **or** protect Kim. What good was he? He had failed them… both of them… all of them. Smitty, Kim, Hayley, Anton, his students… All of this was his fault.

"Desperate times, desperate measures," Tommy sighed, walking down the stairs that led to the basement. "Hales! Call your fiancé!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"Woah! Wait a minute! Hayley's engaged?! Since when?!"

"That does not currently concern you McKnight!"

"But Doc-"

"Later, Connor!" Tommy insisted.

"Fine, but why does he need to come here?"

"I'm with Connor on this one," Ethan decided. "Why does Hayley's fiancé, whom we didn't know existed until about two minutes ago, need to come here?"

"He originally planned to go into the medical field," Hayley explained. "He didn't, but he does have a medical degree."

"Why don't we just take her to a hospital?" Kira asked.

"They'll want to keep her over night, and I don't want her out in the open. She'd be an easy target, and… I trust this guy." Tommy explained, walking back upstairs.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

I didn't know the guy, but I was pretty impressed. Dr. Oliver's trust was normally pretty dang hard to gain. Still… I was **very** confused. Who was this guy?

"Um… Hayley?" Trent spoke up, breaking the silence. "Why does Tommy know this guy, and we don't?"

"Tommy knew him _**long**_ before I did, he introduced us," Hayley answered, her voice grew solemn as she continued on. "I was going to tell you, but I was more concerned about the way Tommy started acting. I hadn't noticed at first, I was too excited, but the way he brushed it off… 'That's great Hayles.' He didn't even seem to care. That's not like him. Especially considering he seemed so eager to introduce us. Like he really wanted us to end up together."

"So, as far as Doc's concerned… why do we not know?" I asked.

"He didn't ask me why. I told him that I hadn't told you guys yet, he shrugged, and he moved on."

"Are you gonna call this guy or…" Kira trailed off, leaving room for Hayley to answer.

"I texted him while you guys were talking to Tommy."

"Is he coming?" Trent asked.

Hayley looked at her phone and grinned. "Yeah. He's coming."

"So… how in the world did he gain Dr. O's respect?" Ethan asked.

Hayley simply laughed. "You'll have to find that out for yourselves. I can't just give you the answer to that kind of question."

"Yes! Yes, you could!" I argued.

"You're right Connor, I could, but that wouldn't be any fun," she replied with a playful smirk. "He'll be here in a few."


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"How am I suppose to tell her?! Hayles… I tried…" Why did I have to have such awful parents? Why couldn't they be more supportive? Why couldn't they just be happy for me? First my job, now my fiancé! I laughed bitterly. "What's next?!" Yes, I didn't get the greatest job the world had to offer, but it wasn't the worst, and I enjoy it! At first I just brushed it off, that's what my parents do best, complain. Then I had decided to tell them I'm getting married. A rocket scientist was definitely impressive to them… however... I snorted, there was always one of those. She doesn't work for NASA? Forget it! He hadn't even told them what she did do! Of course, they wouldn't have been impressed, but they hadn't even given her a chance! They made the love of his life out to be useless because she didn't work at NASA! I pulled into Tommy's gravel driveway and stepped out of the car as slowly as I possibly could.

"Ryan!" I plastered on the best fake smile I could when I heard Hayley call my name. I felt her arms wrap around me before I even got the chance to look at her. Probably a good thing. Let her think, if only for a moment, that everything was ok, that my parents hadn't snapped me yet. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, the way I always did, but this time was different. I let my tears slide into her thick hair. I knew they would slide right down each strand and onto the ground. They wouldn't reach her scalp. She wouldn't even notice. I started to burry my face in her hair, somewhat effectively drying my eyes. Considering I hadn't seen her in two and a half months, she didn't question me when I pulled her closer to me.

"Hayley?"

"Yes?"

"I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too!" She replied, pulling away from his embrace, and smiling up at him. This was the part he was dreading, and… 3… 2… 1…

"Hey!" I sighed with relief, as Tommy realized he needed help, and jogged up to them. "You've been on the road all day, right? You need something to eat?"

"That sounds amazing! Thank you!" Tommy knew that this wasn't going to go well, heck, I knew it wasn't going to go well, but Hayley asked me to try and make peace. Now she wanted to know how it went, and the last thing I wanted to do was tell her. I knew I'd have to eventually, but I was going to relax for a little bit. Enjoy freedom from my parents' hostility. "So now that I owe you about a million favors, what did you need?" I asked when we were out of earshot.

"Eat first." Tommy commanded laying a plate of food in front of him.

"Wow! You talk a lot!" I exclaimed sarcastically. Tommy raised his eyebrow at me. "Sorry, two and a half months at Mom and Dad's place," I explained. Tommy lowered his brow and nodded sympathetically.

"So, on a scale from 1 to 10, how awful was it?"

"Ten billion. If I never see them again it will be too soon!"

"So… did anything out of the ordinary happen?"

I repeated the bitter laugh I had used in the car. "Not really. Why can't they just accept…" I looked at my younger brother's saddened expression and realized I had no room to complain. Tommy had been kicked out at 16 because he didn't want to be a doctor! In fact, I'm pretty sure he became a paleontologist to mock their parents' decision to kick him out. 'You want me to be a doctor? I'll be a doctor.' Ryan admired his little brother's courage, but for the longest time, he couldn't mirror it. After what they said about Hayley though… He wasn't going to take it anymore. He couldn't let them rule his life anymore. He'd coward to his parents' wishes for too long, he was done!

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Tommy. I wasn't thinking. I have no right to complain."

"It's fine, Ryan. I understand. Just-"

"What?"

"Just tell me you made them regret whatever they said about Hayley."

I grinned at my brother. "Well, if they don't it wasn't for lack of effort on my part, I assure you."

Tommy grinned back. "Good."


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

So we're all sitting at the table, eating lunch, like civilized human beings… and by that I mean we're all dead silent, and it's awkward, and we all just want it to end already! Ahem! Sorry, 'bout that! Finally, for the second time today, Connor speaks up when the rest of us are too scared to do so. We really need to have the new guy look at him when he's done patching Kim up… Any who… going on!

"SOOOOO… How do you guys know each other?" he asked gesturing to Dr.O and… Ryan… I believe it was… with his fork. Said doctors almost chocked on their food.

"Excuse me?" Dr. Oliver gave Connor a look that… well… I don't know… it was a look…

"Come on! I'm fishing for topics here! Bear with me for once!" Connor complained.

"We're… childhood friends…" Ryan decided finally.

"We had a childhood?" Dr.O chimed in.

"Fair point… We… are… friends from our younger years?"

"Sounds more accurate," Dr. Oliver agreed. "Let's go with that."

"MOVING ON!" Hayley said quickly.

All color drained from Ryan's face. Ryan. No last name. No nothing. Hayley's fiancé, Ryan. That was it. Oops! Rambling! He he, Sorry! Anyway… the guy might as well have been a statue. I'm not even sure he was moving… or breathing for that matter.

Suddenly he started twitching and muttering to himself. I only made out a few words. Such as: Stupid, Ingrates, Terrible, Worthless, Rocket… Wait, what? Why rocket?! Oh, and um… Successful, Nothing, Doctor, Puppy… Nope, not gonna rant.

"Okay! Ryan and I are going to go check on Kim!" Dr.O said suddenly, rising from his seat and pulling Ryan up the stairs behind him.

Hayley's eyebrows were furrowed. She stared at me, apparently noticing that I had picked out quite a few words and was trying to make sense of them. Which, by the way, wasn't working out so well for me. "Ethan, did he just say puppy?"


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

I listened to my big brother whisper rant for a while.

"It's stupid! Why do they have to be such ingrates?! We're terrible?! They practically called my fiancé worthless! She's a rocket scientist! They want me to be successful, is that not good enough?! Who am I kidding? Nothing's good enough! Wanted us to be doctors so bad maybe you should have gotten us a puppy!"

"Okay! Ryan and I are going to go check on Kim!" I pulled Ryan out of his seat and dragged him up the stairs. "Ryan! Ryan look at me! I know you're mad, but you're really starting to worry me. I need you to calm down!"

"Ye-yeah, sorry, Tommy."

"Are you ok?" I asked, ignoring his apology.

Ryan nodded sadly. "Forget about it. Lead the way."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine… So… um… you're ex, right? Kimberly Hart?"

I nodded solemnly, leading the way to the room I had moved her to once she had fallen asleep. Her wounds had definitely become infected, they had started to puss while she was asleep, and were red and swollen. I stared at her sadly. This was my fault. I left Ryan to take care of Kim, and checked on things down stairs… bad idea. Hayley's head shot up immediately.

"What aren't you guys telling me?!" She asked. "What happened?!"

"I don't know," I admitted, "I didn't pry, but I do know that it didn't go well. Hayley, Ryan's just really upset right now. He always did everything he could to please them… they're never content… never happy with anything. He's having a hard time coping with the rejection he gets met with every time he gets excited about something. He just… he just needs some time…"

"I want him to know he can talk to me…"

"Hayles… he knows that getting their approval meant a lot to you… he doesn't want you to be upset. He's upset himself. He doesn't want to have to tell you. He knows he can talk to you Hayley. He just needs some time to deal with this on his own. Trust me, he'll be back to his old self in no time."

"I shouldn't have pushed him to go talk to them. I just wanted him to try. Tommy, I didn't want their approval, I couldn't care less about that, but I knew, whether he'd admit it or not, he wanted them to approve of something, _ **anything**_ he did. He wanted to feel acceptance for once. I just wanted to help."

Speechless. How does one respond to something like that? Ah yes, like this… "If you'll excuse me, Hayles… I lost something, and I need to go find it."

"Oh?"

"Yes… Sadly… I've lost my ability to read people."

Hayley smirked, "You've probably just been sitting in that basement with nothing to do for too long. In a couple hours you can order some Pizza, go get some Dr. Pepper or something, and we can all have dinner and try to make sense of everything that's going on right now." She patted my head as she walked past me, toward the stairs. "That should get your brain juices flowing… right?"

I smiled, she's gonna be my little sister. I have a big brother _and_ a little sister, and we're all looking out for each other. That's not even mentioning my students, whom I grew fond of, very quickly. I finally had a real family! The kids didn't even really know Kim or Ryan that well, but they seemed to be warming up to them nonetheless. Kim… I don't know the whole story… I honestly don't care if I ever do. I just want to know for sure that she still loves me. I want to fix this… but first I want to know that she wants that too. Somehow we broke the relationship that everyone thought would last… like the Titanic. Wow… that was dark… where did that come from? Anyway… maybe we could salvage some of it… maybe even all of it. The pain will never go away, the pain I felt when I lost her, but we can still have a future, because we're rangers, and if there's one thing rangers are good at, it's getting back up…


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Kim? Kim, I need you to sit up for a second."

I bolted upright, mistaking Ryan's voice for Tommy's. I couldn't help the disappointment that I know crossed my features. I _was_ excited to see him, don't get me wrong, but I was really hoping I'd get to talk to Tommy.

"Ryan!"

"Don't act excited! I know you're disappointed."

"Well…yes… but I'm also excited! What are you doing here?!"

"I heard my future little sister wasn't feeling so hot, and since Tommy's a paleontologist I came to the rescue," Ryan said proudly.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Future sister? You are aware I'm Tommy's **ex** girlfriend?"

"You are aware he's still **MADLY IN LOVE WITH YOU?!** " he countered.

We stared at each other for a minute. Silence enveloped the room.

"Fair enough," I said finally.

"Anyway…. I'm gonna need to draw some blood."

"I think you just wanna stab me with a needle," I joked, as I held out my arm.

"Definitely! Highlight of my medical degree… stabbing people with needles!"

"Oh, and don't take too much, I'm kind of low on it right now."

"I'm aware of this. Don't worry, We'll take care of ya."

"We?"

"Tommy insisted on helping with whatever he can, which, granted, isn't much, but he's been sort of helpful."

Being reminded of how much Tommy cared after all this time… I'm pretty sure my heart exploded right then and there.

"C-could you call him up?"

"Well, right now he's out getting some pizza and soda. I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"

My stomach growled loudly in response, and I smiled at him nervously.

"I might be a little hungry too," I admitted.

"Right. _A little_ hungry. I'll inform Tommy of your being _a little_ hungry, when he returns. For now, I'm gonna run downstairs and put this stuff through some tests." He informed me, heading for the door.

"Ryan!"

"Yeah?"

I smiled wide, "I think it would be safer if you walked."

Ryan rolled his eyes, "I'll send Tommy up with some food, a beverage, and the results, when he returns… if they go through quickly."

"Thanks, Ryan."

"No problem, sis," He replied with a smile. "Get to feeling better!"

"Will do."


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I walked into the house after being gone about 2 hours. The kids had informed their parents that they'd be having dinner at my place tonight before I left, no doubt there parents had called them a few times to see what was taking so long. I sighed dramatically, making the most out of my exasperation.

" **I went to almost every store in Reefside…"** Dramatic pause… check! " **Fifteen stores… before I found one that was not completely out of soda!"** I plopped down on the couch, huffing while my brother and his fiancé smiled at me in amusement, and the kids raised their eyebrows in confusion at their teacher's sudden dramatic behavior.

"You're kidding… right?" Connor asked.

"Yes… and no. I was purposely being over dramatic, but I really did have to go to 15 stores before I got soda." I turned my attention to Ryan, "She hungry?"

"Starving would be an understatement. I don't think Terrance fed her any."

I nodded sadly, picked up a couple cans of Pepsi and a box of pizza for us to share, and headed upstairs. I didn't know how long she had been gone, if she had eaten before heading home from work that day…

I knocked nervously on the door, "Kim? Beautiful? You awake?"

"Hey! Yeah, I'm awake, Handsome."

"Hungry?"

She looked at me guiltily, but nodded, "Starving," she admitted.

I sat on the edge of the bed, set the box between us, opened the two cans, and handed her one. "Then let's eat, Beautiful."


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

I let out a content sigh when I had eaten most of the pizza. It was kind of embarrassing, but I was starving! Tommy nudged the open, but untouched can of Pepsi I had sat on the end table, toward me.

"Thirsty, Beautiful?"

I picked up the Pepsi and chugged it in response. Judging by the look on his face, he had realized his mistake.

"I'm so sorry, Kim! I wasn't thinking! I'll get you some water!"

"No! Tommy I'll be fine… please… stay…"

"O-ok," his answer was hesitant, but at least he was staying.

"Hey, it could have been worse, you could have gotten me Coke."

"No."

"No?"

"You don't like Coke."

My eyes widened in shock. He remembered that? Tommy started to laugh, and I could only imagine my facial expression.

"Close your mouth, Kim, you'll catch flies," he managed before erupting in laughter again. I promptly shut my mouth, having not realized it was even open in the first place. My eyes started to water, and Tommy's fit of laughter was suddenly brought to a halt.

"Kim? Are you ok, Kim? Beautiful? Beautiful, are you alright?"

I wanted to say something… anything… anything to change the horrified expression on his face, but I couldn't.

"Kim? Beautiful… please say something… Kim, you're scaring me…"

I gulped and tried to speak. I could tell that Tommy was terrified that he might have done something wrong, and I hated seeing him like that. I wanted to reassure him, but his remembering something so simple after all this time had rendered me speechless. He still remembered that I didn't like Coke. What kind of guy goes to the trouble of remembering something so simple! I mean, sure, I remember stuff like that about him, but most guys don't even care to remember that stuff short time, much less go to the trouble of remembering it for 8 years! I had to remind myself again that he's not a normal guy. He deserves better than me… but he wants me…

"Kim, I'm sorry if-"

Ok this might have been cheesy… maybe it was bad timing, and maybe even inconsiderate, with everything he already had to think about, but... I didn't know what else to do, and he was being so sweet when he thought he messed up, and… and… and that's who he is! Dang I missed him! Sooo… I kissed him.

I have a feeling that no matter how long I know him, no matter how long we're together or apart, I'll never stop falling into the state of complete bliss that I always have when I kiss him. When he kisses me. When we kiss each other. Everything, in that moment, seemed perfect. We weren't worried about the world around us. We were in _**our**_ world, and right then, that world was perfect. The kiss was perfect. It was slow and sweet, and later I'm sure we'll get into something deeper, but that kiss was perfect for that moment, and if there are consequences for that, I'll take them, because it was just that perfect. No other word I can think of to describe it… just… perfect.

When we finally broke away from each other, he wrapped his arms around me, and I buried my head in his shirt. I let myself cry… really cry, I finally let loose all the emotions I had bottled up over my mistake. I cried the tears I had needed to cry for a long time, and Tommy understood, just like he always did. He didn't know the story, but he held me, knowing that was all I needed from him in that moment, and let me cry on his shoulder. He let me snuggle up to him. He stroked my hair, and kissed the top of my head until I finally fell asleep. He didn't say anything, knowing I needed the silence. He just stayed with me, and that was enough, if everything that happened previous to that moment hadn't been, that was enough to let me know that he loved me, that he always has, and that he always will.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

2 hours later… (Around 11 p.m.)

"Ryan?"

"Kim! You're up! Need anything? Was the Pepsi too acidic? I can get you some water if you need it. Tommy's been beating himself up for the past 2 hours about it."

"Water sounds great, Ryan, thanks! Could you make sure Tommy knows the Pepsi was fine?"

"I'll tell him when he wakes up. He had a long day, I don't think he planned on sleeping, but he crashed on the couch a couple minutes ago."

"Ryan, you should get some sleep too."

"Guess you're probably right."

"You're not gonna argue?" Kim asked with a smirk. "I thought that's what the Oliver family did best."

"Yeah… well… the three of us are trying to grow out of that," I told her solemnly. "Although…" I piped up, "Tommy's failing miserably, good luck. I'll get you water then crash on Tommy's guest bed."

"Isn't this the guest bed?"

I smirked, which she apparently didn't notice, "What made you think that?"

"Well… this is a bed, and technically I'm a guest,"

"And he wanted you to be comfortable."

"So… ?"

"His bed is the most comfortable one in the house…" I trailed off, letting her figure out the rest. I almost laughed at her disbelieving stare.

"This is the bed Tommy sleeps in every night?"

"Well… It's the one he lays down in every night… not sure he ever really sleeps," I admitted. Before I was even finished with my sentence, she had turned around and stuffed her face into a pillow, breathing deeply into it, and clinging to it like a life line. "I'll get you some water," I told her as I walked away.

"Is she ok?" Tommy asked, seeing me walk down the stairs.

"Thirsty, I'm getting her some water,"

"I'll get-"

"You rest! I'll get her some water, and then I'll head to bed. You've had a long day, little bro, you need rest." Tommy nodded, thankfully tonight he was too tired to argue. "By the way, she said the Pepsi was fine."

"Thanks, Ryan, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Tommy."


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

7:30 a.m.

I slept last night… I slept well last night… How often does that happen? Wait… never! Ya know, unless I just so happened to have gotten to kiss Kim the night before. No big deal. It's a huge deal, enormous, humongous, gigantic, immense, massive, colossal! Ok… I think I'm done now… yeah, I'm done for now. WOW! Kim and I kissed! I mean… it's not like we haven't done it before, but… after 8 years… it's different now. She still loves me! This is… prodigious! Definitely the word! Prodigious! Wait! Ready for more synonyms? If not, too bad because I'm excited! I kissed Kimberly Hart!!!! Prodigious, fantastic, stupendous, radical, marvelous, miraculous, terrific, wondrous, monumental,morphenomenal, and, heck, while I'm at it, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! I know there has to be the most ridiculous grin ever on my face right now, but I couldn't care less. We kissed! I got to kiss the love of my life for the first time in 8 years!

"Morning, Tommy. Sleep well?" Ryan asked as he descended the stairs.

"Yeah, actually I did," I admitted without turning to him. I can't let him see the smile on my face, he'll think I'm drunk. I forced my zillion-mega-watt smile into my signature scowl, and let it soften into a slight smile. I figure that's better than the 'Life is good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' smile that suited my normal personality in no way. It was like 100,000 times wider than my normal smile in high school, for goodness sake!

"Good," Ryan replied, seeming rather pleased.

"I'm gonna go see if Kim needs anything. I'll be right back,"

"Alright,"

I walked up the stairs, toward my bedroom, and knocked lightly on the door. When she didn't answer, I knocked a little louder. No response, so I opened the door and the grin returned. Kim had her head buried in one of my pillows, she was hugging it tightly to her chest, and had pulled her knees up, so that she was curled around it. I sat on the edge of the end table and smiled down at her.

"I love you! I love you so much, Beautiful!" I exclaimed in a whisper as I stared at her sleeping form. I let out a sigh. "And I'm 90% sure that you're awake."

Her eyes remained closed, but her head tilted toward me and a smirk crossed her lips, which I had definitely not started staring at. "Just 90%, Tommy? You're losing it."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up!"

She turned her head, and gazed up at me, "Handsome?"

"Hm?"

"I love you too."

"I love you more."

"I'd argue, but that's what you live for."

"I live for you, and only you, Beautiful! No one else! Nothing else!" I insisted, earning me a smile and a peck on the cheek.

 **A.N: Don't get mad at me for letting Tommy use lots of synonyms. You can get mad at me for posting super late, posting a filler chapter last time, and constantly posting notes that I just remove later despite posting notes on my page (which I'm pretty sure nobody looks at), but don't get mad at me for the synonyms. Please...**


	27. Chapter 26

**AN: ****So... I'm a not doing so hot right now and this chapter is probably a mess, but I figure you've been waiting long enough. I'm probably going to redo this story and Mending the Past  when they are both finished. Ever wrote something, and were like "That's actually really good!" and come back later and are like "Wow... that could be a lot better!" Anyway, hope you enjoy! **

Chapter 26

"You know, the grid never ceases to amaze me."

"Yeah, I know, Ryan… How's she doing?"

"That, my dear brother, is what's currently baffling me.Before I get into anything, have you talked to David yet?"

"Yeah, he won't be coming down for at least a couple of days, but he'll be here"

"No sense in waiting for him then."

"Agreed."

Ryan snorted in amusement, "Of course you do, you just wanna know how she's doing as soon as humanly possible, and try to help."

"You'd be the same way if it were Hayley, I-

"Not judging bro," Ryan assured him quickly, "just pointing out a fact."

"I've never seen her like that, Rye."

"Like?..."

"She looked so weak... and helpless. I mean when we were teens, sure, she would have her damsel in distress moments, sure, a lot of people viewed her as the weakest member of the ranger team, but she wasn't. She was never really weak. Never helpless. Actually, I think she was stronger than all of us in some ways. Seeing her like that… it killed me, Ryan."

"I know... I know this is hard for you Tommy, but she'll get better, I promise. She's already started to recover, she'll be just fine in no time."

"You're sure?" Tommy asked nervously.

"I'm a doctor, Tommy. Don't question me." he paused for a moment, "I'm Positive."

"Right," Tommy did his best sound confident. "So what's the problem, Doc?"

"Well, there really isn't one anymore."

"Meaning, what exactly?"

"I'm going to be blunt, Tommy, can you handle that?" Tommy nodded and Ryan continued. "Tommy, a normal person would not have even survived torture like that in the first place. If Kim wasn't connected to the morphing grid... Tommy she would have died... of that I'm certain."

"But... she IS going to be ok?"

"With the help she's getting from the grid... I think she'll be fully recovered within the next week, if not sooner."

"Thanks a bunch, Rye! I owe ya!"

"Tommy, you introduced me to Hayley, to the love of my life, bro. I'd say we're finally close to being even."

"May I go tell her the news?" Tommy asked, grinning.

"Be my guest. I'd rather not hear the 'banished to an anti-social fate' rant again."

Tommy acknowledge his brother's words with a swift nod and jogged up the stairs after grabbing some ibuprofen from the bathroom and a bottle of water from the kitchen.

"I brought a bottle of water, painkillers, and results." he announced as he walked through the bedroom door.

"Finally! A visitor from the outside world! Good news?"

"Yes ma'am! Painkillers first?"

"Actually, I don't think i'm gonna need them today."

Tommy grinned. She was feeling that much better already? "Good. Last night I was scared you were gonna down a whole bottle when I wasn't looking."

"Not a chance, Handsome. I just got you back. There's no way I'm leaving again."

He couldn't help grinning again. Words could never describe just how amazing hearing her say things like that made him feel. "Want water then?"

"That sounds great, Handsome, thanks,"

"Anything for you, Beautiful,"

"Soooo... the news?" Kimberly prompted, taking a sip of water he had brought her.

"Well..."

"Tommy!" she scolded in frustration. Clearly tired of laying in bed all day. (Even if it was Tommy's bed.)

"Ok! Ok! I'll tell you!" Tommy relented, grinning, yet again. "Rye says you should be completely recovered within the next week!"

"Really?! Do you think maybe I'll be able to go to the reunion?"

"I don't see why not. It's not for another month, and if Ryan is right you'll be better long before then."

"Great!... I do have one more question though."

"Alright, shoot."

"Smitty?"

Tommy froze at the mention of his old friend. Could this be fixed? Could Terrance really be reverted to his normal self? If so would he even want to be changed back to normal? Did he truly want revenge this badly? Did he really want to hurt people like this, for the sake of revenge?

"What of him?" Tommy asked, firming his voice to sound emotionless and looking away from her.

"Tommy... we... we ARE going to save him... aren't we?"

She sounded fearful and Tommy was taken aback for a moment... and then he remembered...

"Sorry, forgot I was talking to a pink."

"What does that have to do with anything?" she barked defensively.

Tommy could almost laugh. That had everything to do with it.

"Kim, you cannot have seriously compared every single one of my students to their predecessors just last night and not know how being a pink pertains to your wanting to save Terrance."

"Enlighten me." she huffed, clearly annoyed.

"Pinks are the heart of the team, Kim. It's Ranger 101. They're strong and smart, but they're also really sweet, always the heart."

"Are you doing that on purpose?"

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about." (He really was grinning quite a bit today)

"Yeah, well, I'm sure I don't believe you." she announced rolling her eyes in mock annoyance.

"Fine! Fine! I was punning on purpose! Happy now?"

"You don't put up much of a fight anymore do you?"

"I think Mesogog would've disagreed," Tommy bragged with a smirk.

"Oh, I'm sure." she huffed in amused response.

They sat there for a moment, simply enjoying each other's presence. Until Tommy felt Kimberly go stiff next to him.

"Kim? Is everything alright?"

"She said that… that she's never seen you like this..." she said bleakly.

"What?"

"Hayley."

"What about Hayles?"

"She's never seen you happy, Tommy. She's never seen you genuinely happy."

"Kim…

"Have you really been that miserable since the break up?"

"Honestly? Yes... Kimberly, you were... NO! You ARE, EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING, to me! I love you, so much, Beautiful!"

"I never wanted to hurt you-

"I know that, Beautiful. Don't worry about it."

"I just thought… well… I thought you'd be better off." Kimberly admitted.

"Better off…" Tommy repeated absentmindedly. He hesitated, then looked at her with tearful eyes, "Without the love of my life?"

"There was the distance and then there was the time difference and… Tommy you had to find the perfect time between monsters and school to call me and it had to fit with my schedule too. I just… I felt like a burden Tommy. I thought you'd be better off with Katherine."

"Kim… you were the farthest thing from a burden. Yes it was difficult to get calls in, but those calls were the highlight of my day. The letters you sent gave me the courage to keep fighting. They reminded me that I had something to fight for. I needed you Kim… and I still do."

"Good, cuz' this time, I'm not going anywhere."

Tommy grinned, "I believe my brother begs to differ. Told me this morning that you'd need some exercise. How bout' a walk?"

"Sounds great, Handsome."

"Good, because there's still a few things we need to talk about." He informed her, whilst helping her off the bed.

"Like what?" she asked as they started walking.

"First of all…" he started with a grin, "Do you want to go to the reunion as a couple-

"Yes." she answered without missing a beat.

"Ok. … Have you called your boss yet?"

Kimberly grimaced at that. "Not yet… I'll do it soon."

"Ok… um… are we trying long distance again or-

"Not a chance! I'll move in with my dad until I get everything sorted out. He still lives in Angel Grove. It's not Reefside, but it's not the other side of the country. We'll still be pretty close. I mean it's, what, 50… 55 ish miles from here."

"That's admittedly better than 2,700."

"1 hour compared to about 38."

"If I decided to walk it would be 870 hours to Miami. Approximately"

"No comment."

"I was thinking-

"That can't be good."

"Ha ha very funny. Anyway, Zeltrax is serious this time. Not that he wasn't last time. I suppose a better word would be desperate. We might need some backup. I think the reunion would be the perfect time to recruit some. Tanya, Adam, Jason, Zack… I doubt he's gonna wait much longer for another attack, but hopefully he'll wait the extra month at least."

"I doubt it, but if he does then talking to the others at the reunion is a good idea. If he shows up before then I could help you, I still have my ninja ranger power."

"Heck no! There is absolutely no way you're going anywhere near Zeltrax-

"But Tommy-

"No! As far as we know, he thinks you're dead. If he finds out you're alive he'll come after you again. He wants to make me suffer Kim. Almost anyone I'm close to knows that the best way to do that is through you...and… there is still one thing we haven't looked into yet..."

"Which is?" she asked nervously. His tone almost kept her from being distracted by the 'the best way to hurt me is by hurting you' comment. Almost. Not quite.

"Kim…are you… do you have… do you have any symptoms of PTSD?"


End file.
